Reactions to Rihanna's "Man Down" Music Video
Rihanna has found herself in the center of controversy again over one of her music videos.
Before premiering the video to her latest single, the reggae-tinged revenge ode “Man Down,” on BET's "106 & Park" on Tuesday, the singer took to Twitter to say it would have a "very strong underlying message 4 girls like me."
It’s that message -- which shows her killing a man who's assaulted her -- that has drawn the ire of a collective of advocacy groups that work, in part, to combat violent imagery in media.
The Parents Television Council, along with Industry Ears and the Enough Is Enough Campaign, joined together to “condemn” the video and urge Viacom, BET's parent company, to pull it off the air.
In a statement, Paul Porter, co-founder of Industry Ears and a former music programmer for BET, described "Man Down" as "an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song. In my 30 years of viewing BET, I have never witnessed such a cold, calculated execution of murder in primetime. Viacom’s standards and practices department has reached another new low.”
The statement continued: “If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better. The video is far from broadcast-worthy.”*
The clip begins with the singer shooting a man, who is shown dead in a pool of blood, before flashing back to the previous day, where she hung out with friends, went clubbing and on the way home was accosted in a dark alley by the same guy. It is implied that he sexually assaulted her.**
There is a bit more at the source.
Another article from ABC News adds a bit more from PTC:
The Parents Television Council is condemning Rihanna's latest music video, saying it depicts the singer in an "implied rape scene with a man whom she later guns down in an act of premeditated murder."
The opening scene of the singer's "Man Down" music video shows her gunning down her alleged rapist in a crowded public space and then leaving the scene.
"Rihanna's personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence," said Melissa Henson, director of communications and public education for the Parents Television Council in a news release. "Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability."***
Along with the PTC, media justice think tank Industry Ears, as well as the Enough Is Enough Campaign, also are blasting the video, which debuted on BET Tuesday night.
"If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop," said Paul Porter, co-founder of Industry Ears and a former voice of BET, in a news release. "Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better. The video is far from broadcast worthy.
Rihanna later thanked her fans for their support by tweeting, "Thank you for the amazing response on ManDownVideo I love you guys, and I love that u GOT IT!!!"
*Really? REALLY? Considering most people don't bat an eyelash at his assault of Rihanna or subsequent bad behavior, I wouldn't be so sure of that. Nevermind that the situations aren't at all comparable, imo.
**After watching Man Down myself, I'm surprised at how the media and PTC are beating around the bush when it comes to what happens to Rihanna's character in the video. Here is the Youtube video (NSFW, violence/assault trigger warning) so people can judge for themselves. To me, it's blatantly obvious what happens so the use of 'alleged' and 'implied' are really disconcerting.
***While the video could benefit from a number or link to a sexual assault/rape counseling hotline or organization, I think the song isn't making murder acceptable. As I see it, it's giving the perspective of a victim who does what she believes she needs to do to secure her safety and well-being. It complicates the picture of what society deems as acceptable or not acceptable for a victim to cope.
I'm really interested in what members think about both the video and the response to it but I also understand the subject matter may be difficult for some. I think Rihanna was beyond brave to make a video like this because of her own experiences as well as how the victim's perspective and issues of sexual violence aren't often addressed in mainstream media. In my opinion, the lyrics make it clear that her character's actions weren't 'premeditated' in the callous sense that the articles above seem to suggest. She repeatedly asks herself why she did what she did and struggles with an action that I view more as self-defense, rather than cold-hearted revenge.
I've also been searching for a feminist critical response to the video and haven't had any luck (too soon, maybe?) so far. If anyone could point me in the direction of a good article on Man Down that'd be great too!
(Edited to put all my comments directly referencing content under the trigger warning.)
Before premiering the video to her latest single, the reggae-tinged revenge ode “Man Down,” on BET's "106 & Park" on Tuesday, the singer took to Twitter to say it would have a "very strong underlying message 4 girls like me."
It’s that message -- which shows her killing a man who's assaulted her -- that has drawn the ire of a collective of advocacy groups that work, in part, to combat violent imagery in media.
The Parents Television Council, along with Industry Ears and the Enough Is Enough Campaign, joined together to “condemn” the video and urge Viacom, BET's parent company, to pull it off the air.
In a statement, Paul Porter, co-founder of Industry Ears and a former music programmer for BET, described "Man Down" as "an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song. In my 30 years of viewing BET, I have never witnessed such a cold, calculated execution of murder in primetime. Viacom’s standards and practices department has reached another new low.”
The statement continued: “If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better. The video is far from broadcast-worthy.”*
The clip begins with the singer shooting a man, who is shown dead in a pool of blood, before flashing back to the previous day, where she hung out with friends, went clubbing and on the way home was accosted in a dark alley by the same guy. It is implied that he sexually assaulted her.**
There is a bit more at the source.
Another article from ABC News adds a bit more from PTC:
The Parents Television Council is condemning Rihanna's latest music video, saying it depicts the singer in an "implied rape scene with a man whom she later guns down in an act of premeditated murder."
The opening scene of the singer's "Man Down" music video shows her gunning down her alleged rapist in a crowded public space and then leaving the scene.
"Rihanna's personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence," said Melissa Henson, director of communications and public education for the Parents Television Council in a news release. "Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability."***
Along with the PTC, media justice think tank Industry Ears, as well as the Enough Is Enough Campaign, also are blasting the video, which debuted on BET Tuesday night.
"If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop," said Paul Porter, co-founder of Industry Ears and a former voice of BET, in a news release. "Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better. The video is far from broadcast worthy.
Rihanna later thanked her fans for their support by tweeting, "Thank you for the amazing response on ManDownVideo I love you guys, and I love that u GOT IT!!!"
*Really? REALLY? Considering most people don't bat an eyelash at his assault of Rihanna or subsequent bad behavior, I wouldn't be so sure of that. Nevermind that the situations aren't at all comparable, imo.
**After watching Man Down myself, I'm surprised at how the media and PTC are beating around the bush when it comes to what happens to Rihanna's character in the video. Here is the Youtube video (NSFW, violence/assault trigger warning) so people can judge for themselves. To me, it's blatantly obvious what happens so the use of 'alleged' and 'implied' are really disconcerting.
***While the video could benefit from a number or link to a sexual assault/rape counseling hotline or organization, I think the song isn't making murder acceptable. As I see it, it's giving the perspective of a victim who does what she believes she needs to do to secure her safety and well-being. It complicates the picture of what society deems as acceptable or not acceptable for a victim to cope.
I'm really interested in what members think about both the video and the response to it but I also understand the subject matter may be difficult for some. I think Rihanna was beyond brave to make a video like this because of her own experiences as well as how the victim's perspective and issues of sexual violence aren't often addressed in mainstream media. In my opinion, the lyrics make it clear that her character's actions weren't 'premeditated' in the callous sense that the articles above seem to suggest. She repeatedly asks herself why she did what she did and struggles with an action that I view more as self-defense, rather than cold-hearted revenge.
I've also been searching for a feminist critical response to the video and haven't had any luck (too soon, maybe?) so far. If anyone could point me in the direction of a good article on Man Down that'd be great too!
(Edited to put all my comments directly referencing content under the trigger warning.)